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menus

Ideas For Cheap Menu Covers

February 25, 2010


Cheap menu covers are exactly what a small restaurant needs to show customers what a restaurant has to offer. If the menu selections change daily or at least on a regular basis, investing in glossy, laminated menus or fancy bound menus is an unnecessary expense. It can be as simple as a computer generated page using Word Art to give the basic information to customers. The restaurant name, address, telephone number and perhaps the accepted methods of payment should tell customers everything they need to know. Changes can be made frequently and inexpensively.

Discount menu covers make sense in small, low budget operations where customers may drop in on their way to work or during their lunch hour for a hot dog or hamburger. Nothing fancy is required. In fact, in these settings customers prefer little or no frills dining. A page or two printed out on the copy machine will do. Even something they can shove in their back pocket for future reference may be very desirable.

If the restaurant owner has a little artistic talent, perhaps a happy face or a sketch of the front of the establishment may lend a bit of a homey feel to things. Who knows, that menu may end up in someone’s address book or stuffed in a drawer and be used in the future when the customer is trying to remember where they stopped for lunch a few weeks back.

For restaurants operating on a tight budget, the critical elements are the quality of food served and exceptional service. There aren’t that many areas where cutting corners is recommended in the restaurant business. Making a name and encouraging repeat business are the goals of any upstart dining establishment. Choosing cheap menu covers can make a different to the bottom line early on.

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The menu cover is one of the most important aspects of a restaurant. Customers subconsciously decide whether or not they want to remain at a restaurant and eat based on the menu cover. If the menu cover is offensive or unappealing in any way, the restaurant will lose valuable customers and the revenue they could have earned. However, if the cover is appropriate the customer will proceed to open the menu and place his or her order with the waiter or waitress.

The restaurateur must make a decision on what type of quality material to use for the menu cover. He can choose to use a laminated cover or a plastic cover for menus. These cover options are more affordable than others and will last a long time. Another option is leather which is used at most upscale restaurants. There is also vinyl, metal and wood. Restaurateurs should research to see what type of material will work well for the type of restaurant they own.

Once material for a menu cover is selected, the restaurateur should hire a design agency to design the cover of the menu. The design agency should become very familiar with the restaurant’s personality before the designer creates a look for the menu cover. If the restaurateur wants to make their customers feel as if they are family, the image, font and colors on the cover should convey that fact. If a design agency is too expensive for the restaurant, the owner can purchase software or use online software to create a design. Unfortunately, the restaurateur will not be able to obtain feedback on the menu cover design from an expert of a design agency if they use software.

Also, the cover for menus must be the right size. It should be big enough for the customer to handle.

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